Hey, all... On another thread, I just sent Thomas a link to Duotrope. I don't know if it was new to him or not, but it was certainly new to me 18 months ago. Now I certainly don't mind posting a helpful Duotrope link now and then when someone asks; but it seems to me like there might be people who haven't yet figured to ask, but who would still benefit from that info.

So what I thought was maybe we need a sticky topic with a small handful of useful resources. I don't know if we need an elaborate FAQ, necessarily, and I don't know that we want to bury people in links. But it seems like we could put together something that would be helpful. And if we do it ourselves, we're not putting extra work on Brad. If he likes it, all he has to do is make it sticky.

I actually think we could do with two posts, one for writers and one for illustrators, so I'm making one of each.

Not being an illustrator, I don't have many links to suggest here; but I would start with...

MJNL wrote:Sooo...anyone have any good resources specifically for improving composition? I think that's probably my biggest weakness as an illustrator.

What part of composition?

Line, color choice, shading (usually it's a matter of being brave enough to go darker in your darks, and lighter in your lights), shape or the way you place things on a page (how items appear in space...or perspective issues)?

Sometimes a graphic arts class or book can help or drawing upside-down. Do you know any local artists you love? sometimes it's just a matter of studying their tricks with them or just doing a ton of light studies or sketches.

Break down each of the areas of comp you want to improve and work on each one by one. Practice sketches just like you do practice stories.

I'm not a talented artist, just thought I'd jump in and offer some ideas. Maybe it will also be a benefit to get chummy with the illustrators at the workshop and see if they have any good suggestions.

Composition usually refers specifically to how things are placed on the page--as I understand it (Being self-taught, my definitions could be wonky). Making a cohesive, balanced imaged that directs the eye appropriately and divides the 2D plane into pleasing proportions seems to be my issue (This is my own perception, though. No one has specifically told me it's my problem. It just seems obvious when I compare my illustrations to illustrations I find highly effective.)

I have several art books that deal with anatomy, lighting, etc.--the basics. However, the basics of how to organize the elements in your image isn't touched on in any of them. :-/ And the local artists I know aren't exactly representational artists (and the few that are do figures and portraits rather than cohesive scenes)...all though I can see how practicing with abstract art might help my proportions.

I've found a couple of tutorials on DeviantArt that talk about dividing the image into three balanced sections, and discuss using foreground, middle ground (I do have a problem with leaving out middle ground), and far ground, but none are very in-depth and usually only have one example image.

You seem to have a great eye for foreshortening! That's much more difficult imo than vanishing points etc, which is largely geometry.

I do know that alot of times, excitement and drama in an image will appeal much more to a judge than that which is technically correct but souless. Google up some bad Poser art to see how wrong it can go!

'The only tyrant we accept in this world is the still voice within.' -GandhiIOTF:Winner Q1 vol.27 (3x Finalist); WOTF: HM x2

There are a ton more. I usually go for videos with the most views and favorable reviews. I like YouTube because I can see what they're doing as they're doing it.

I have a hard time thinking of composition without talking shapes, contrast, line, perspective. I'm a traditionally trained artist though who's also still working on the craft.

I bring up graphic arts, because I have a lot of friends in this field (since it naturally crosses over into what my husband does). They spend a lot of time learning and discussing how to divide up the page and get the eye to go to certain places. Some graphics books go into this in detail.